—ROAR!—
—ARGH!—
The loud roaring howls came not only from the undead but also from the flames—while the faint, dying screams echoed from those being devoured by the undead or burned alive.
Combined with the scorching heat of the raging flames illuminating the dark surroundings, along with the suffocating clouds of rising black smoke, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was hell on earth.
But Nach, Saeko, and Miku simply ignored everything else and focused only on the cheerful sound of humming and the playful footsteps slowly approaching them from the stairs behind the metal door leading to the rooftop.
—BAMM!—
—ROAR!—
The instant the metal door came flying toward them—missing Nach's head by an inch before crashing into the burning helicopter behind them—a burst of flames was let loose through the opened doorway, raging like a dragon's breath and nearly reaching where Nach, Saeko, and Miku stood.
Still, the three of them didn't flinch at the impressive display of intimidation.
"She really did evolve into a fire-type Pokémon."
It was the only pun Nach could think of as he watched Saki walk through the flames.
Her blackened, bloodstained uniform burned ablaze, her glasses had already cracked from the extreme heat, and her knife blades glowed red as if they had just come out of a forge. Yet neither her skin nor her long, flowing black hair showed any sign of burning.
Surely, Molotov cocktails wouldn't work on her now, Nach thought, wishing they had prepared gallons of water instead, since a Water-type attack was obviously super effective against a Fire-type.
Setting aside the unnecessary thoughts, Nach, Saeko, and Miku couldn't even bother trying to comprehend how Saki had become immune to the flames. What they were concerned about was whether she could still be killed by cutting or smashing her head.
"If it's not enough, then I'll cut you to pieces," Saeko said as she drew her katana.
"And I'll turn you into a pound of meat," Miku added, lifting her sledgehammer over her shoulder.
Saki simply ignored Saeko and Miku's intimidation. She removed her cracked glasses, tossed them into the fire, and then looked at Nach with a malicious smile and intoxicated eyes.
"Any chance we could talk this out, Saki?"
Nach at least tried to reason with her, hoping she was still in her right mind despite her killing spree. If he could take advantage of her affection for him, he would rather avoid a fight to the death against someone as strong as her. Him saying her name, however, only made Saki more excited and aroused.
"Mhm~! We could talk a lot, boyfriend~san, when everyone is dead and it's just the two of us."
"Enough with your bickering, bitch!"
"If you're not going to stop, then you'll die here, Yoshida-san."
Miku charged ahead, with Saeko following closely behind now that she was keeping pace with Miku's enhanced speed.
Regardless, Saki still held the advantage—not only in speed and strength, but also in her senses and reaction time.
"Weak~!"
Saki casually sidestepped Miku's swing, the sledgehammer passing right in front of her face and almost grazing her breasts. She didn't even flinch as Miku's weapon slammed into the floor with devastating impact.
A few steps backward were all Saki needed to dodge Saeko's slash, which sliced through her blouse between her breasts and exposed her cleavage.
Saeko's attack, however, was a combination of two consecutive strikes—a sharp downward slash followed by a swift upward return.
"Slowpoke~!"
Saki easily blocked Saeko's katana with her knives.
Sparks ignited in the air the instant their blades clashed. Before the sparks could even disperse, Saki counterattacked—kicking Saeko in the stomach, sending her flying back and knocking her down, then stepping on Miku's back and pinning her to the floor as she laughed.
"How dare you look down on me, you bitch—ARGH!"
Miku tried to force herself up, but Saki increased the pressure of her foot, making Miku scream in pain as her body was slowly crushed.
Before Saki could kill Miku, Nach finally joined the fight.
He swung his axe, taking advantage of Saki being distracted as she tormented Miku, aiming for her neck to decapitate her and end the fight quickly.
Nach was slow compared to Miku and even Saeko. Still, he was confident that his enhanced strength surpassed Saeko's and was nearly on par with Miku's.
But once again, Saki proved she was on a completely different level.
She pressed harder on Miku to propel herself forward and intercepted Nach, stopping his swing by catching the axe with her left hand alone.
"I'm honestly starting to feel kind of weak and useless here."
It wasn't just because Saki had effortlessly stopped him—Nach was being sarcastic because he couldn't even yank his axe free from her grip.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, boyfriend~san."
Nach released his axe and tried to distance himself, but Saki grabbed his hand and pulled him down.
He thought she was about to bite his neck and turn him into one of her undead.
Instead, Saki did something a bit unexpected.
"Nach-sensei!"
"Nach-sama!"
Saeko and Miku shouted in panic as they watched Saki kiss Nach.
—"Get away from him!"—
They quickly got up and charged at Saki to save Nach before he could be bitten and infected—or so they thought.
Saeko aimed to cut Saki clean through the knees, while Miku swung to crush her back. But Saeko's katana cut nothing but air, and Miku's sledgehammer smashed into the floor where Saki had been moments earlier.
Saki had dodged both attacks the instant she broke the kiss and distanced herself from Nach—moving at a speed none of them could react to.
It made the gap in their strength painfully clear.
Saki was merely toying with them.
"So that was your name, Nach~kun."
---
While Nach, Saeko, and Miku were fighting Saki on the rooftop, the remaining survivors and students locked themselves inside a jewelry store on the third floor of the shopping mall, with metal roll-up shutters preventing the undead and flames from reaching them.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU—YOU FUCKIN' BASTARD!"
Shido turned his rage into whatever strength he could muster.
He crawled on all fours toward the jewelry store's office while the survivors and students panicked amid the raging chaos.
Shido hadn't chosen the jewelry store as his group's base solely because of the expensive jewelry he wanted to steal.
He was betting on the existence of another gun hidden in the office—meant for self-defense in case of a robbery.
As he ransacked the room while soiling himself, he finally found another revolver hidden inside the manager's desk.
Now he had the weapon to kill Nach. All that was left was creating a distraction for the undead so he could safely reach the rooftop.
Luckily for him, he already had all the bait he needed.
All it took was the push of a single button to open the door to their cage.
—ROARRR!!!—
—ARGHHH!!!—
"THAT'S YOUR PUNISHMENT FOR DISOBEYING ME—YOU USELESS PEASANTS!"